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RFID Cookware

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the never-burn-your-water-again dept.

HaggiZ writes "Vitacraft are claiming to have what they call RFIQin Robotic Cookware (unfortunate name). It's basically pots and pans that you can place RFID cooking cards in the handle with. The communicate with the induction stove 16 times a second to adjust the cooking when required. Neat idea, although I'm not sure anything I cook needs to have it's temperature reviewed or adjusted every 0.06 of a second." For all the evil uses of RFID that have been floated over the years, it's nice to see that someone is going to finally make it so I stop burning my lunch.

7 of 133 comments (clear)

  1. Wrong target market. by khasim · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The people who would cook by plugging a card into a pot would not be using a pot in the first place. They'd be using a microwave.

    The people who cook with pots and pans already know how to cook so they won't spend money on this. Gas stoves are much better for cooking anyway.

    Which leaves the only market being people with too much money, a love for new toys and no culinary skills.

    1. Re:Wrong target market. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      A chef who can't keep track of multiple orders/dishes/burners won't be a chef for long.

  2. RFID Is not evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    The people trying to use it for nefarious purposes are.

    RFID has some neat applications, most of which will do nothing more than make your day and mine a little easier. It doesn't matter if it's a coffee pot that knows how much sugar, honey or milk you use. Or a little keychain that stores all my information so I don't have to fill out any forms at the hospital, hotel, police station or when I renew my license (that was a three hour wait). If I could do all that by dragging a small keychain over a little platic thing, count me in...

  3. I prefer "Grammar Nazi." by Armadni+General · · Score: 2, Insightful

    But seriously, if that's the only mistake you were able to find, you're not fit to call yourself Grammar Anything.

  4. But then again... by Hakubi_Washu · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A stove that communicates with the pots via RFID has enough micro-electronics inside to contain a clock, maybe a scheduler even! Mom can place the pan there, it'll heat up in time and signal you via WLAN, Bluetooth or SMS, so you know when food is ready! What a pointless waste...

  5. Apparently you don't know much about induction by colin_young · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Saying that "gas is better for cooking" is only true if you're talking about traditional electric cooktops. Induction is superior to gas. See http://inductioncooking.wikispaces.com/AboutInduct ion (disclaimer: I maintain that website, although the information is collected from various sources).

    That said, I don't see a lot of use for a pre-programmed cooking routine. It will only work when you can guarantee the consistency of your ingredients (making caramel or deep frying come to mind, but there are already cooktops that can maintain a set temperature +/-5C).

  6. Better idea: build one for a microwave oven by Animats · · Score: 2, Insightful
    A more useful idea would be a wireless temperature probe that worked in, and with, a microwave oven. Then, when you're cooking something thick, like a chicken breast, the oven could sense interior temperature. Traditional ovens have had this since the 1950s, but microwave ovens usually have not.

    There would certainly be no problem powering the thing; there's plenty of RF power in there. Interference could be overcome by programming the oven to shut off for a few milliseconds every second, during which period the probe would send a temp reading.